READ: MATTHEW 25-34
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (V. 33)
“Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill” is sage advice for living. Many times, in law enforcement, especially during traffic stops, the offending driver elected to ignore this wise counsel. Instead of accepting the fact they got caught, they chose to argue their innocence or unload a bucket of disrespect and vile personal insults upon the officers writing the citations. Frankly, it was all any of us could do to keep a calm demeanor as our blood pressure, like lava in a volcano, began to rise. Self-talk began to focus on; “just give me a reason” to pull you out through the window. Decompression after the stop was essential, but not easy. You could not let this one obnoxious person ruin your day nor the way you served in the hours, days, weeks, months or years to come. You had to forget the jerks for, unfortunately, there would be more on the horizon. No molehill offender was worth a mountain of your time or worry, let alone taking an action that would jeopardize your career. When you focused on doing the job with integrity, honor and respect, these irritating encounters became a meaningless footnote in your career.
Just as in police work, life can throw annoyances our way. Personal, marriage, family, work, economic and social relationships can cause us irritations. Rather than letting our faith determine our response, we tend to engage in self-righteous behaviors that allow molehills of frustration to become mountains of anger and resentment. But there is an alternative course of action. Ron and Sharon, two beloved members of my Sunday School Class, spent 13 years battling a serious illness that robbed Ron of his mobility and eventually his ability to effectively orally communicate. They endured countless ER visits, multiple major surgeries and stays in rehab facilities. Rather than focusing on their plight and arguing with God, they accepted their journey. They met gigantic medical challenges head-on with Mt. Everest size faith. While worry was a natural factor, they stayed focused on God to meet their needs. They were fully confident Jesus was with them every step of the way. Two wonderful people, (Ron is now at home with Jesus), had every opportunity to turn molehills of disappointment into mountains of resentment and disbelief– but instead chose to reverse the process. Though their earthly journey was difficult, painful and taxing beyond measure, they maintained a sharp focus on Christ. He enabled them to relegate medical and personal worries into molehills by applying mountains of faith!
PAUSE FOR REFLECTION AND PRAYER
How do you deal with the countless irritations of life? You can fret and become angry and resentful. But you also have the option to activate the faith driven love of Christ and find a grace filled solution that keeps everything in its proper perspective.
Dear Jesus, help me center my life on you when I am tempted to turn molehills into mountains.